By Aram Tolegian, SGVN
Reggie Turner’s football season did not start out the way a dream senior season is supposed to.

The Bonita High School running back took a handoff in the shadow of his own end zone with his team trying to kill the final minutes of clock while holding a 36-30 lead over rival San Dimas in the Smudge Pot game.

Soon after getting the ball, Turner was stripped. San Dimas emerged with the ball on the doorstep of victory. The Saints cashed in and won, 37-36. It was a cruel trick played on Turner by the football gods.

“It was a crucial moment,” Turner said while thinking back to the play.

“Everyone was saying `Hold on to the ball, hold on to the ball’ even before I went in.

“As soon as the ball popped out, my heart just dropped. It’s really unexplainable. I felt real, real bad. All that was going through my head was apologizing to my teammates.”

Rather than being blamed or ridiculed, Turner received nothing but support from his teammates and coaches. Although the disappointment from the loss still burns bright, Turner and Bonita have moved on.

It wasn’t easy, though. Bonita went on to lose its next two games after San Dimas. But since then, Turner has become a scoring machine and at 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the Hacienda League, the Bearcats have their sights set on knocking off defending champion West Covina on Friday and putting themselves on the inside track to a league championship.

“It’s the most important game to date,” Turner said. “And it might be the most important game of the season. We just have to treat it like it’s the Hacienda League championship, because for the most part it is.”

It’s no secret what the Bearcats will do on Friday night in order to beat the Bulldogs. A steady dose of Turner has been the recipe that’s led Bonita to three consecutive blowout wins and Turner to some pretty amazing stats.

Turner has scored 13 touchdowns in the last three weeks. Six of those came against Rowland. He now has 18 total touchdowns for the season to go along with 676 yards rushing.

“He’s obviously doing some things right for us and he’s obviously the guy who we want the ball in his hands,” first-year Bearcats head coach Adrian Medrano said. “He wants that to be on his plate, too. He wants to be getting 20 carries a game, at least. And to be honest, that’s not exactly happening every game, but he’s getting the ball thrown to him and he’s playing some defense for us in spot situations.”

Turner has been a key contributor for Bonita for the past three seasons. He was too good, even as a sophomore, to not play a huge role on the Bearcats’ CIF-SS Southeast Division runner-up team.

Last season, Turner’s role grew even more as he was counted on, along with Cameron Griffin, to carry the offense while also playing defense.

Now, Bonita is riding its best player for all he’s worth and that’s just fine for Turner. The season may not have started out as planned, but Turner is threatening to end it in smashing style.

“Mistakes just happen,” Turner said. “I didn’t think it would ruin my season, but I thought people would be pointing the finger at me. I actually got a lot of support. Nobody really pointed the finger. Well, not to my face, at least.

“I got support from all my teammates. None of them were mad at me. The coaches weren’t mad at me. It’s my last year playing high school football and I’m trying to get a scholarship. This is my last shot right here to beat West Covina, not just for me, but for the previous teams.”

Win or lose on Friday, there’s still plenty of time left for Turner to leave his mark. But he knows that with a win, the Bearcats can start thinking about bigger goals, like an extended playoff run.

“A league championship would be awesome,” Turner said. “It would be a pretty good end to my senior season, but a Southeast championship would be the perfect ending.

“I definitely think as a team, if we play our best football, we can compete with anyone in the Southeast and go to the championship.”

Both teams were 9-0 and 3-0 and fighting for the Serra League title in 2010, but of course, Alemany won and never looked back, a perfect 9-0 since joining the league in 2010 with two league titles. Amat had its chance to win that night, but blew it with one of the most self-destructive final 44 seconds of a half I’ve ever seen. It was truly stunning, the Mission Hills Meltdown. Amat was in control and led 17-14 after a go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds left. I started walking to my computer to write-up the first half when Alemany blitzed down the field, throwing a bomb and then scoring on a four-yard pass play to take a 21-17 lead with 17 seconds left. Then Alemany did an onside kick, got the ball back and threw a “Hail Mary” as time expired to go up 28-17 at halftime. It was game, set, match right there. Amat never regained their swag, momentum and eventually lost 38-30. People are going to say Alemany was better that night, I’m not sure that was the case. They were certainly more opportunistic and even lucky. Check out the highlights from the Inland Insider. Amat heads back to Alemany on Friday at 7 p.m., and we’ll be there too.

La Salle coach Russell Gordon, “We feel like we can play with anyone in the San Gabriel Valley.”

Opening: La Salle coach Russell Gordon and quarterback Austin Wallis. The Lancers are 6-0 after winning one game in two previous seasons. Gordon’s thinking big, hoping to schedule the area’s best next season, and that includes anyone, including Monrovia, St. Francis, Muir or even some of our heavyweights on the East side.

18:30 mark: The Scouting Guru joins us to talk about the Serra League, plus two-minute drills on Bishop Amat-Alemany, Bonita-West Covina, South Hills-Charter Oak and Gladstone Duarte. In the segment Aram tells you why Bishop Amat and Charter Oak are so much better than everyone else, and I tell you why El Monte should let QB Brandon Martinez chase every record imaginable.

Rosemead is not sure how to stop El Monte and quarterback Brandon Martinez. The senior is second in the Southern Section in passing with 2,265 yards and 22 touchdowns, and is chasing the East San Gabriel Valley all-time record held by Los Altos’ Mike Smith, who threw for 3,437 yards in 1982. Rosemead hosts El Monte on Friday, and here is how coach Marc Paramo describes the Lions’ offense.

“I’ll be honest, and I’m not sure this is kosher to say, but their best play is the broken play. You can’t really prepare for the broken play. It was the same thing last year; he threw jump balls and to his receivers’ credit, they went up and got the ball.” — Marc Paramo

Okay, so that’s not how South Hills coach Albert Rodriguez descibed his teams’ chances against red-hot Charter Oak, the Inland Division’s fourth-ranked team. But let’s be honest, though both teams are 5-1 and 1-0, it doesn’t feel like that type of match-up. Rodriguez explains his thoughts to Aram..

By Aram Tolegian, SGVN
Both teams are 5-1, but who out there is really giving the South Hills High School football a chance against Charter Oak on Friday night?

“I get the feeling that people are kind of wondering if we should show up, huh?” first-year Huskies head coach Albert Rodriguez said Tuesday.

That pretty much sums up the court of public opinion on the game. The Huskies are in the midst of a remarkable turnaround season under Rodriguez, but Friday’s game at Charter Oak against the Chargers is where most area pundits draw the line.

It partly has to do with South Hills’ ugly, but effective, style of football. There’s nothing flashy about the Huskies. They pound quarterback Adam Goss behind a huge offensive line and hope to kill the clock while eating up chunks of real estate.

Meanwhile, Charter Oak has plenty of flash. Receiver Bryce Bobo, at 6-foot-4, cannot be covered by most high school defensive backs. Running back Aaren Vaughns is as electric a playmaker as there is in the area.

The Chargers’ defense has held every opponent to its season low in points this season.

“By watching them on tape, they’re a helluva football team,” Rodriguez said. “Defense is the first thing that really stands out to me when watching their tape. They really fly around. I know Roger Lehigh runs the defense over there and I’ve got a lot of respect for Roger.

“It seems like they’re starting to get things offensively as well, too. They definitely turned a lot of heads with that Chino Hills game last week.”

Don’t expect the Huskies to change their style for the Chargers. Their methodical way was good enough to upset Monrovia a few weeks ago when most people thought the Wildcats were too athletic for South Hills to handle.

“There’s really no secret to what we do,” Rodriguez said. “We run the football and get first downs. The more important thing is as we’re moving the chains and running the clock, we’ve got to come up with touchdowns.

When they do get the ball, we have to limit their big plays. They do have big-play opportunity guys. It’s easier said than done, but going in, that’s the plan.”

The Huskies have been doubted just about every step of the way this season, but they’ve actually turned that into motivation. Whether that’s enough on Friday against a team like Charter Oak remains to be seen.

“We’ve had kids who have left our place to go over there,” Rodriguez said. “The frustrating thing is that a lot of their top-notch players the last couple years have been South Hills guys and in our program, so we have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, without a doubt.

“But we don’t want to make it too much bigger than what it is. Without a doubt, these kids are looking forward to playing Charter Oak. But you don’t want to go out there so excited that you come out tight.”

The Warriors (10-3, 7-1) avenged their only league loss of the season with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-11 win as the teams began the second round of league play.

“We just had too many errors in that fourth game,” Gladiators coach Jeff Devine said. “We came back in that second game and were close in the other two but we just lost control of it in that last game.”

TUESDAY’S RESULTSSIERRA LEAGUESt. Lucy’s 3, Chino Hills 0
[St. Lucy’s remained unbeaten in league as the Regents ran their record to 4-0 and 11-5 overall with a 25-10, 25-21, 25-13 sweep of the Huskies. Chino Hills fell to 14-7 overall and 2-2 in league. St. Lucy’s senior captain libero Arden Davis played an strong game as she recorded 14 digs and one ace. Senior left outside hitter Vanessa Caustrita added 10 kills, two blocks, two digs and two assists while junior left outside hitter Veronica LaPierre had nine kills and nine digs. Sophomore setter Juliet McClure had 28 assists, 10 digs, four aces, two kills and one block. For Chino Hills, sophomore left outside hitter Meghan Burzzerio led the way with 17 kills and 14 digs.
Senior setter Shelley Anderson added 18 assists, 10 digs and six kills while senior libero Kiana Hayashida had 13 digs..

Ayala 3, West Covina South Hills 2
Erin Clark dished out 49 assists as the match went all five games with the Bulldogs coming out on top 25-10, 14-25, 25-17, 21-25, 18-16. Danielle Giltner led Ayala in kills with 17. Ayala improves to 10-6 overall, including 3-1 in league.

1. Bishop Amat (5-0-1) –Undoubtedly No. 1 in the San Gabriel Valley, the Lancers embark on its real season in the Serra, opening at defending champion Alemany, who has owned them the past two years. If you can open with a league win on the road, especially against the defending champion, playoff outlook is much clearer.

2. Charter Oak (5-1) — Undoubtedly No. 2 in the San Gabriel Valley after the thorough beating it delivered to Chino Hills. Not only are the Chargers huge favorites to win the Sierra, I like their chances at a deep playoff run in the Inland.

3. Ayala (5-1) – Jordan Robinson and Co., are undefeated in my opinion. In their only loss to Kaiser, Robinson didn’t play. But if the Bulldogs are truly the real deal, they will take care of Chino Hills next.

4. South Hills (5-1) — The Huskies’ had better chances of beating Charter Oak in the two previous years in the Sierra, and still lost last year 63-28. They meet again Friday, and emotions always play a role in this, but South Hills’ offense against Charter Oak’s defense is a gigantic mismatch.

5. Chino Hills (3-2-1) — They took a left hook to their pride and an overhand right to their confidence in last week’s lopsided loss to Charter Oak. Now that their pinned in a corner, what will happen against extremely confident Ayala?

6. San Dimas (6-1) — You get the feeling the next month is just about getting ready for the Mid-Valley Division playoffs. Oh, Northview will have something to say about it the league title, but it will be more talk than anything.

7. Bonita (3-3) -- If we were ranking strictly over the past three weeks, the Bearcats would probably be No. 4 or 5. But now it gets tough at two-time defending Hacienda League champ West Covina, who would like nothing more than to knock the ‘Cats back to reality.

8. Gladstone (6-0)– The Gladiators haven’t been the most impressive undefeated team ever, but they’re still perfect regardless. Their perfect season will surely be tested over the next two weeks against Duarte and Azusa.

9. West Covina (3-4) — The Bulldogs can regain some of their swag with a win over one of the area’s hottest teams and a threat to dethrone their Hacienda League title, Bonita. But the way they’re playing, don’t bank on it.

10. Diamond Ranch (4-2) — Playing well and not out of the Hacienda League title chase. They need West Covina to beat Bonita, then take care of their own business. But look, Roddy’s Ranchers haven’t gone anywhere, they’re in contention as always.

Check out our Maxpreps Made Easy Widget for Tribune Football Fans. If coaches are posting rosters, updating stats and standings, this is the most useful SGV widget there is. Check it out, makes following your teams and area leaders simple.

Above: Los Altos’ Fabiana Rosas has helped lead the Conqs to a 6-0 start in the Hacienda

TRIBUNE VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS1. St. Lucy’s (10-5) – Gets rival Chino Hills tonight, but probably just another Sierra League win for the Lucy’s. Ayala already tenderized them.2. Ayala (8-6) — Everyone keeps telling me I have it all wrong, that Ayala is the second best in the area. See, I’m listening.3. Chino Hills (14-6) – Not what it use to be, but still very good. It took Ayala five-sets to beat them. Maybe St. Lucy’s will bring out their best.4. San Dimas (6-1) – Emily Pincin and Jene Lee had huge games in the five-set win over Northview. The Vikes rallied from two sets down, but the Saints won the fifth 17-15 to take over first in the VVL.5. Los Altos (11-2-1) – The Conquerors are rounding into form and are a perfect 6-0 in the Hacienda. They have a big test against Diamond Bar on Thursday.6. Northview (13-3) - The Vikings thought this was the year to knock off San Dimas, but will have to wait until they meet them again in a couple weeks.7. Claremont (7-4) - Unless they can beat Ayala, St. Lucy’s or Chino Hills, say goodbye to their playoff chances. That’s life in the Sierra.8. Bishop Amat (7-5) - They looked good in the preseason against teams they were obviously better than. But reality is setting in now that they’re 0-2 in the Del Rey.9. Gladstone (17-4) – The Gladiators get La Puente at home tonight for sole possession of first. If you haven’t been to one of these games, show up, the emotions run high.10. La Puente (9-3) - Beat Azusa last week to force a tie at the top with Gladstone and the Aztecs, all with just one loss. The Warriors are the defending league champs and want to prove they can win another at Gladstone.

That was the season opener in 2007 with both teams hoping for a Montview League title. Duarte crushed Gladstone 34-3 in a game that was called with 3:47 left after the benches emptied. Duarte coach Wardell Crutchfield was so upset with his administration for not supporting him, he resigned only to return later in the week. Duarte finished second in league behind La Puente and the Gladiators were never in league contention again until now. Nice to see both teams back on top of their game.

Duarte (4-2, 3-0) meets Gladstone (6-0, 3-0) on Friday for first in the Montview League.

By Fred J. Robledo, SGVN
Duarte High School football coach Jason Martin knows all about the warm, fuzzy feelings area fans have for Gladstone coach Albert Sanchez.

The Gladiators (6-0, 3-0 Montview League) are off to their best start in school history in what could be Sanchez’s final year as head coach after 13 years in charge.

But don’t expect the Falcons (4-2, 3-0) to be sentimental when they line up against the Gladiators with sole possession of first place on the line Friday at Citrus College.

Duarte already has crashed one party. It ended Azusa’s 27-game league winning streak by crushing the four-time league champs, 40-14, in the league opener.

Duarte beat Gladstone 17-14 last season, and with a win over Azusa in the bank the Falcons are looking to take another big step toward their first league title since 2006.

“First off, hats off to coach Sanchez and that coaching staff,” Martin said. “Their quarterback (Kevin Amezquita) is a stud, and if you give him a chance to beat you he’s going to beat you.

“What impresses me about them, and this goes back to last year, is their continuity.

“They were a team on the verge last year and you see them putting it all together.”

The Falcons have noticed the Gladiators have started slow in almost all of their games. They’ve come from behind in five of their six wins.

Duarte has been just the opposite in starting fast and finishing slow.

“Finishing games has been a big concern to us, and obviously they’ve shown they’re great finishers,” Martin said. “You always want to jump on top of a team, but regardless of whether you have a lead or you have to come from behind, you need to learn how to finish strong.

Last Week:: We cancelled each other out and each had four losses. Aram and I both missed taking Damien over Ayala and Los Altos over Rowland. My other two losses were taking Chino Hills over Charter Oak and South El Monte over Rosemead. But I got Aram back with his misses, taking Pomona over Wilson and Mountain View over Gabrielino.

This week:: After saying I wouldn’t do it, I did it. I’m taking Bishop Amat over Alemany at Alemany. Something about Alemany struggling to put away Notre Dame before escaping with a 49-42 win in the final minute combined with how bad Amat wants this game after what happened the last two years has led to this. Plus, with an extra week off, if not now then when? I also struggled taking Gladstone over Duarte. The Gladiators have flirted with losing since dominating La Puente in the league opener. But I think they’ll get the wake-up call and take care of the Falcons on Friday. South Hills and Charter Oak looks great on paper. Both 5-1 and bitter rivals. But in reality, it’s Charter Oak by at least two touchdowns, maybe three. Ayala’s been great and looked great last week, but Chino Hills will take care of business after laying an egg against Charter Oak. Oh yeah, the biggie in the Hacienda. I’m going with Bonita over West Covina. The Bulldogs’ two-year reign was dented in a loss at home to Los Altos, now Bonita will take care of the rest.

The positions of Principal and Vice Principal of Damien will be posted for applicants after December by the Department of Catholic Schools. Father Peadar Cronin, SS.CC. continues as President. Meanwhile I have appointed Dr. Merritt Hemenway as Interim Principal.

Go for it:My feeling on this is turn him loose. I don’t care if El Monte is up 28 in the fourth quarter, let Martinez go and chase history. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to have a season like this, if anyone doesn’t like it, then man-up and stop him. This isn’t AYSO.

By Fred J. Robledo
El Monte senior quarterback Brandon Martinez already has re-written nearly every school record, now he has his sights set on the East San Gabriel Valley’s all-time single-season passing mark, set in 1982 by Los Altos’ Mike Smith, who threw for 3,437 yards.

Arroyo’s Steven Rivera, who became the San Gabriel Valley’s career passing leader with 8,295 yards and 91 touchdowns (2008-11), is second all-time in the East San Gabriel Valley after throwing for 3,408 yards and 38 touchdowns last year.

The all-time San Gabriel Valley record was set in 2002 by Muir’s Richard Irvin, who threw for 4,061 yards behind quarterbacks coach and offensive guru Steve Clarkson. The state record is held by Folsom’s Tanner Trosin, who threw for 5,185 yards in 2011.

Martinez, second in the CIF-Southern Section in passing, threw for 386 yards and six touchdown in last week’s 38-21 win over Arroyo to push his season total to 2,265 yards and 22 touchdowns with four games remaining plus the playoffs.

Martinez is averaging 377 yards and at that pace, he could eclipse 3,700 yards by week 10.

If Martinez gets extremely hot, he could be within reach of the CIF-state record for passing yards in a 10-game regular season.

Modesto Downey’s Jason Lee holds that distinction, passing for 3,972 yards in 2009 to set the record in a 10-game season.

Martinez is second in the Southern Section behind El Toro senior Conner Manning, who leads everyone with 2,939 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Martinez is also 20 touchdowns shy of the all-time SGV mark for touchdown passes in a season. Bishop Amat’s Pat Haden (1970) and Los Altos’ Aguilar (2000) share the record with 42.

The early list of coach of the year candidates are plentiful. Anything can happen over the next several weeks, but the early contenders are worth noting, and for the fun of it, I’ll rank the TOP TEN.

Above: First-year coach Albert Rodriguez has a huge game against Charter Oak on Friday. Both teams are 5-1.

1. Albert Sanchez, Gladstone — In what might be his final season he’s having his best season ever and the Gladiators (6-0) are off to their best start in school history. But are they hanging by a thread? A 10-0 regular season would be remarkable for a team that had key players quit before the season.

2. Albert Rodriguez, South Hills — Another truly remarkable story. Nobody, and I mean nobody, would have pegged the Huskies to be 5-1. Not after the firepower they lost last year and replacing legendary coach Steve Bogan. Few still expect the Huskies to make the playoffs in the Sierra, but if they knock off Charter Oak this week, and that’s a big if, move Rodriguez to the front of the line.

3. Randy Reams, Ayala — Nobody expected a 3-7 team from last year to be 5-1 and a serious threat to win the Sierra League title. He’s done an unbelievable job and if they beat Chino Hills this week, his stock soars.

4. Steve Hagerty, Bishop Amat – This wasn’t supposed to be the year the Lancers went undefeated. Not with Jalen Moore, Rio Ruiz and Zach Shay graduated. Not with games against Chino Hills, Servite, Charter Oak, La Mirada and St. Paul. But they’ve done it again, their best start since …well, 2010, when they started 9-0.

5. Joel Sanchez, El Monte – One of the hardest places to build a winner, Sanchez finally has one. They’re 4-2 and trying to win their first league title since 1979. After beating Arroyo for the first time since 1990, they’re off to a good start.

6. Lou Farrar, Charter Oak – Big Lou’s surprising us again. With Travis Santiago graduated and Kurt Scoby off to St. Paul, no way are the Chargers (5-1) competing for the Sierra League again. Turns out, they might be more dominant than ever.

7. Craig Snyder, Rowland — No way was this team supposed to be 5-2 and tied for the Hacienda League race at any point. It shows again that Snyder is truly one of the gems in the San Gabriel Valley. There aren’t many who can do as much with less.

8. Adrian Medrano, Bonita – Can remember when bloggers were calling him a “one and done” coach after starting 0-3, though two losses were close games to San Dimas and La Serna. The first-year coach has been the talk of the town since, winning three straight Hacienda league games in convincing fashion. If the ‘Cats (3-3) win league and go deep in the playoffs, he’s got a shot.

9. Jason Martin, Duarte — When you’re 3-0 in the Montview (4-2 overall) and already have knocked off four-time league champ Azusa and ended its 27-game league winning streak, you’re in the running for coach of the year honors. This might be the best Falcons team since Wardell Crutchfield was let go to “move in another direction.”

10. Jerry Lewallen, Glendora – He may round out the list, but the Tartans and Lewallen control their own destiny too. Seriously, if they somehow shocked the world and won the Baseline, he would have to be a strong, strong consideration. Walk-on coaches can’t win the Baseline can they? As is, a 3-3 start is great considering the injuries in all their losses.

Defending league champ Alemany is only a six-point favorite at home against Notre Dame, and they’ve done well enough in a close loss to Centennial and blowout win over Norco to let me know they will handle the Sherman Oak Irish. Crespi is a 14-point favorite at home over Loyola, a game that will be much closer. Crespi’s hard to get a handle on, the only two teams they beat with winning records are from Arizona and Nevada. In fact, the only Southern Section team they faced was Westlake, wining easy last week, but Westlake isn’t Westlake. I’m still going with Crespi, particularly because Loyola’s lopsided loss to St. John Bosco just shouldn’t happen, but it did. But it’s much closer than 14 points. And for the record, here is my Serra League prediction

By Aram Tolegian
The manner in which Chino Hills saw its three-year reign atop the Sierra League end last season has not been forgotten.

Charter Oak, in its second season in the league, trounced Chino Hills, 38-7, in Week 10 to win the league championship. It was a resounding changing of the guard that head coach Derek Bub said his team has not forgotten about.

“I’d be lying to you if I said that last year doesn’t stick in the back of a lot of guys’ heads,” Bub said. “We return a lot of guys off of that team. But sometimes when you get into that revenge factor, you get a little too excited and lose sight of how you play football.

“They did a great job last year. Do I think it’s a different year? Yeah, sure.”

A simple glance at the quarterback position is proof positive that it is a different year.

Charter Oak had all-everything quarterback Travis Santiago last season, but he has since graduated. Chino Hills got the biggest impact transfer of the offseason when quarterback Matt Simko came over from Colony.

With Simko at the helm, the Huskies have the type of offense not many fans have seen around those parts in quite a while. Combine Simko with Boise State-bound receiver Jack Austin, and the Huskies are a sight to see.

Both teams have a common opponent in Bishop Amat, with Chino Hills faring much better by producing a 48-48 tie with the Lancers. Meanwhile, Charter Oak was beaten 30-14. But basing ones opinion on Friday’s game off of the Amat comparison isn’t such a great idea, according to Bub.

“I think it’s foolish,” Bub said. “If we can do it all based on score comparisons and wouldn’t have to play, then shoot, I’d be happy with that.

“I think Bishop Amat got up on them early and Charter Oak had trouble coming back. But if you watched the second half of that football game, it seemed like a much different team that comes out in the second half.”

By Keith Lair, SGVN
Erik Starkey can remember the last time the Covina High School boys cross country team was ranked in a CIF-Southern Section poll. He was running for the Colts more than two decades ago.

Covina has slowly been making gains. The Colts won the Valle Vista League title in Starkey’s first season back and they won it last year, too. The Colts scored 19 points in the first league meet this season at Bonelli Park, missing a perfect score when Pomona’s Abraham Alderaca took second place behind the Colts’ Kevin Mejia. Kevin Herrera, Roman Esparza, Richard Reyes and Manny Cruz took the next four spots.

The goal now is, come November, to be competing for a CIF-SS title at Mt. SAC. The Colts came close last year, but failed to advance.

“Last year we were very confident we would make it,” Starkey said. “We had a great year and a terrific performance in the prelims. The guys were standing, stunned they did not make it.”

Covina has not been to the CIF-SS finals since 1993.

“Last year was a big deal that we get there,” Starkey said. “Not this year. Maybe we’ll win our prelim heat.

“You win league and after awhile, it’s not enough. For two years, we would go to CIF and get pummeled. We’d run great and get intimidated. But all that started to change last year. We definitely can make it.”

Starkey said he has had to change Covina’s mindset.

“The approach to get there is a little different,” he said.

Mejia has been the No. 1 runner for three seasons. He finished fifth in his Woodbridge race this year and the Colts had their second-fastest team time on the course.

“He’s gotten to the point where in the race he expects to be up front,” Starkey said. “He felt the pain of not getting (to the finals) last year. He’s leading the team and getting the guys to do workouts.”

The girls are not ranked, but they’re on their way, Starkey said. They won their league opener and also took their division title at the Bosco Tech Invitational.

Comments Policy

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@langnews.com.